


Haphak

by Ori_Cat



Category: Relic Master Series - Catherine Fisher
Genre: Gen, critiques of the Drake equation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-07 23:16:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11633982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ori_Cat/pseuds/Ori_Cat
Summary: Earth is silent, and no-one knows why.





	Haphak

He found Flain sitting in front of the screen again. It was always dead black. If you really wanted to think that way, there were different kinds of black, deep-water blacks and chitin blacks and lightless-air blacks, but the opaque greyish of a blank screen was the most depressing kind. The other kinds happened naturally, but a dead screen meant something that should’ve been happening wasn’t. 

Nothing was wrong on their end. They knew as much. When, for the fifth time, with the guts of the machine out looking for any problem, any explanation, Halen had been asked if he was sure it was Earth not transmitting, he’d hit the machine so hard it shuddered and snapped “It’s either that or ansible gremlins!” The machine was all right; it was designed to be durable. Halen would’ve broken his hand before it. 

His considered opinion on what was wrong with Earth had been “Damned if I know.” 

Nobody else knew either. 

Maybe that was why the five of them could often be found there, even though it was useless. Everyone hated not knowing. You wouldn’t be a scientist if you didn’t. And you wouldn’t be a scientist if you didn’t think you could figure it out. 

Theriss thought money. As soon as it became clear that colonizing wasn’t economically worth it - at least not as soon as expected - they had walked away. Because human life was really all about money, wasn’t it, every decision made by the governments and Factions had depended on it. As much as everyone professed that it wasn’t everything, it really was what mattered. 

Tamar thought war. The Factions were never truly settled, and things had been politically fraught even when they left. Frankly, “politically fraught” could be a summary of the history of the human race, but usually you were removed. You read about political history in textbooks and were concerned, but life on Earth was about a lot more and life went on. 

Usually. If there was war between the Factions, though, nobody would have time - or ansibles, or resources - to spare for space colonization. Tamar had to admit that Earth probably would consider the best strategy to let the six of them wait, safe on Anara, until it was over. But he still thought they’d probably tell them first. 

Nobody mentioned the last thought. A little over a century ago, an equation was developed to estimate the amount of sentient life in the universe. It was not even close to hard science, and may never have been intended to be (and in any case appeared to be colossally wrong, since nobody’s assumptions provided the answer 2), but the chilling thing was that the creator had seen fit to include a variable L. L for length of time of transmissions, L for how long it would take for a civilization advanced as humans to destroy itself. 

They could do it. As terrified as the world seemed of causing an apocalypse, nobody was willing to lay down their arms, just in case. 

That was the last thought. That maybe no word came because there was nobody left to speak.


End file.
